The invention relates to a re-bar clip and more specifically to one that is used for both supporting vertically oriented re-bar members and properly aligning these vertically oriented re-bar members.
When forming concrete footings upon which bricklayers will build a wall from concrete blocks, it is necessary that the re-bar members extending up from the footing be oriented substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the concrete footing. These re-bar members have an L-shaped structure having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg. These re-bar members are installed on 16 inch centers along the length of the footing. If the vertical portion of the re-bar member is not substantially vertical, the bricklayer will have to bend this portion of the re-bar until it is properly oriented.
The manner in which the L-shaped re-bar members are presently secured in place requires a two man team. Both of these men are in the trench into which the concrete is poured to form the footing. One man holds the upper leg of the re-bar vertical while the other man secures it to a horizontally oriented 2.times.4 whose bottom surface defines the upper surface of the concrete footing to be poured. The vertical section of the re-bar is tied to the 2.times.4 with flexible light wire that is doubled over upon itself to form a double thickness. This wire is then wound around the vertical portion of the re-bar below the 2.times.4 and then up over the back of the 2.times.4, over its top, and down over its front side. The man tying the wire then uses his side-cutters to cut the excess wire. It requires approximately 2 to 3 minutes for each piece of wire to be tied and also involves a two man operation.
Once the concrete is poured, it is necessary to remove the stakes and 2.times.4 before the concrete has set. Now all of the steel wire that has been tied to the 2.times.4 must be removed. This is done by cutting the wire so that the 2.times.4 can be removed. This procedure leaves pieces of the wire extending up from the top surface of the concrete footing. Before the bricklayers lay block on the top surface of the concrete footing, the ends of the wire sticking out must be cut off. This requires additional labor time since it is imperative that a good clean foundation surface be formed so the bricklayers have a clean surface for snapping a chalk line on the footing before building the wall.
Presently there exists re-bar support members in the form of a hanger such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,218. These hangers are only used for supporting horizontally extending re-bar steel members. Once the concrete has set, the top portion of the hanger is snapped off so that the form can be removed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel re-bar alignment and support clip that can be quickly and easily installed by one man to hold L-shaped re-bar members in their proper position.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel re-bar alignment and support clip that can be quickly and easily removed from the horizontal 2.times.4 to which it is secured after the concrete has begun to set.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel re-bar alignment and support clip that can be used several times.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel re-bar alignment and support clip that will save time and money during the process of building a footing upon which a concrete block wall would be built.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a re-bar alignment and support clip that is economical to manufacture and market.